The circle is a magical place. With no beginning or end the circle is infinity. Circles hold or contain magic and spiritual energies. The circle attunes to the feminine or yin aspect, wholeness, the moon and the center of the all-seeing eye.
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The circle is a shape of perfection, balance and harmony. In magic the circle is a vessel for containment or protection. Circles attune to both the eternal and the whole. A circle can signify the end of a cycle and a prelude to a new beginning.
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The moon phase comes to completion in the shape of the circle, when full moon magic is strong. Circles are the expanding ripples on a pond, and the shape of a ring galaxy.
Prehistoric stone circles, such as Stonehenge, are magical spaces. Timber circles are found but due to weathering most have returned to the earth. Cave paintings and petroglyphs use circle shapes and elements.
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In ancient Thrace (parts of today's Bulgaria and Turkey) circular carvings in rock represent sun, moon, or both. In various mythologies sun and moon are related, being husband and wife or sister and brother. Often the personification of the sun is female and the moon male.
The circle is a place of gathering. At a round table, everyone has equal say. People congregate in circles around bonfires. Fairy rings of mushrooms have strong magic and in some beliefs one must walk around the circle nine times before stepping within.
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Covens and gatherings of magic hold the circle sacred. Other magic circles include wedding rings or rings as personal jewelry. Early geometry and astrology relate the circle to perfection and the divine. To come full circle indicates completion or return to beginning.
The concept of the circle is the basis for the wheel. Related inventions such as gears are significant in modern machinery, clocks and watches, the motion of a motorized fan. In mathematics, the circle inspires development of geometry, astronomy and calculus.
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The ouroboros, or snake/dragon in a circle with tail in its mouth is a symbol of alchemy. Alchemists also use the example of the squared circle to represent the impossible, as the practice strives for that which seems unachievable.
Similar to the shape of the ouroboros is the Germanic Lindwyrm, a snake-like dragon who puts its tail in its mouth and rolls like a wheel to catch its human prey. It also increases treasure by lying on it, which relates to the alchemic goal of turning base metals to gold.
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The circle inspires architectural styles such as rose windows and circular columns. Across different cultures similar meanings arise. The circle can represent unity, infinity, wholeness, the universe, divinity, balance, stability and perfection.
In religious traditions it represents heavenly bodies and divine spirits. Egyptian hieroglyphs depict the sun as a circle. Circles may have other circles within them, such as fairy ring mushrooms or water ripples spreading outward.
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Far from being a static shape, the circle is filled with movement. It can expand or contract like the pupil of the eye, in theory or practice. In spirituality the circle assumes a positive uninterrupted flow of energy.
Like triangles, circles relate to the female or feminine principle. In mysticism circles attune to the infinite and cycles of nature and existence. A circle is the halo of an angel or the crown of a monarch. It can represent the Dharma wheel or Dharmachakra of Buddhism.
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If the flow is blocked a person may feel she's running in circles or her mind goes round like a whirlwind and gets nowhere. It can also lead to a feeling of being trapped. This is a sign to rise above the circumstances, and see the path from another perspective.
Squaring the circle is the ancient geometric problem of constructing a square with the same area as a given circle, using a set number of steps with compass and straightedge.
In 1882, the achievement is proven impossible, but enthusiasts keep trying nonetheless.